Inspiration

  • Kentucky’s accountability system re-design decision to forgo growth and utilize improvement instead.
  • Countless discussions at TAC meetings where accountability system terminology is used interchangeably and incorrectly (most notably by experts in our field).
  • Numerous presentations at TAC meetings of poorly designed quasi-experimental studies using results from state summative assessments.
  • Characterizations of “learning loss” and “recovery” during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Numerous staff meeting discussions about accountability systems and their design.
  • 2023 Brian Gong Colloquium on accountability system design.

Coherence

  • The term coherence is not frequently used in discussions of accountability systems and when it is, it is often not clearly defined.
  • What is coherence with respect to accountability systems?
  • What is incoherent about current accountability systems?
  • Why is coherence important?
  • How can coherence be instantiated in accountability systems?

Gill’s Framework

  • Brian Gill’s (2022) paper, What should the future of educational accountability look like?, introduces a useful framework for indicators used in accountability systems.
  • Three Core Components of Gill’s Framework
    • Processes: The activities, instructional practices, and organizational elements that schools implement to support student learning.
    • Impacts: The measurable effects of processes on student learning and development, often captured through growth metrics or value-added models.
    • Outcomes: The long-term results of education, such as achievement/proficiency levels, graduation rates, and other indicators of student success.
  • Gill argues that for indicators to drive meaningful improvement, they must be:
    • Valid: Accurately measure what they claim to measure without systematic bias.
    • Reliable: Stable and consistent over time to avoid misdiagnosis or loss of credibility.
    • Robust: Resistant to unintended consequences and manipulation while capturing critical dimensions of educational quality.

Requirements

  • R: The latest version of R (available from CRAN)
  • Quarto: The Quarto CLI tool for building documents and websites (Install Quarto).
  • Git: Version control to manage your code and push to GitHub.
  • GitHub: Host your R package and website.

GitHub Workflow

  1. Fork the Repository: Start by forking the packageSkeleton repo from GitHub.
  2. Clone Locally: Clone the repo to your local machine using Git.
  3. Push Changes: After making your edits, push them to your GitHub repository.
  4. Deploy Website: Use GitHub Pages to host the Quarto-based documentation.

Customizing the Website

  • Quarto Configuration: Customize the _quarto.yml file to change the website settings such as title, author, and repository URL.
  • Add Pages: Create .qmd files to add custom documentation, tutorials, and more.
  • Themes & Layouts: Modify the website’s theme using CSS or choose from Quarto’s built-in themes.

Building Your Package

  • Add Functions: Use the R/ folder to store your custom R scripts and functions.
  • Generate Documentation: Write roxygen-style documentation for each function and build it using devtools::document().
  • Check Your Package: Ensure your package passes all R CMD checks by running devtools::check().

Publishing the Website

  1. Build the Website: Run quarto render to build the static HTML content.
  2. Publish on GitHub Pages: Push your changes to the repository and GitHub Pages will automatically deploy the site.
  3. Preview Locally: Use quarto preview to see live updates of the website as you edit.

Conclusion

  • packageSkeleton is a powerful starting point for R package development.
  • Use it to streamline your workflow, create well-documented R code, and publish it with a professional Quarto-powered website.
  • Leverage GitHub for collaboration, version control, and public distribution of your work.

References

Gill, Brian. 2022. “What Should the Future of Educational Accountability Look Like?” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 41 (4): 1232–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22428.